|
Sept. 24, 2003
The Word's the Thing
geostationary • nanotechnology • alien • artificial gravity • artificial intelligence (AI) • atomic • cryogenics • blaster • cyborg • humanoid • hyperspace • mutant • webcast • zero-g • hacker • prototype • antimatter
These words sound scientific. Many of them are commonly used in science today. Did you know these words gained their present-day meanings from science fiction stories, some written more than 50 years ago?
Science fiction writers needed words for their imaginative ideas and inventions. They made up new words or used old words in new ways. As you can see, some of these words have become part of our culture.
Give it a try. Imagine that a character in your science fiction story is having a checkup at a doctor's office, a hundred years into the future. Make up a name for the device the doctor uses to examine your character. You may use existing science words, perhaps combined in interesting ways, or invent your own words.
Send your device's name, with a brief explanation, to challenge@snkids.com. Please include your first name, age, city or town, and state. If you are under 13 years old, get your parent's permission to write to us. You may be eligible for a prize!
This week's recommended scifi books
Art gallery
Talk Back:
Do you have any comments about this challenge? Send them
to us using the form below.
|
SNK RSS Feed 
